Down by the bank, Miao Miao had wandered away from Tao Zi's rock. She was balancing precariously on a slippery, moss-covered log that jutted out over a patch of deep, bubbling brown mud.
"Tao Zi, look!" Miao Miao pointed excitedly toward a massive, glowing pink water-lily blooming in the center of the muck. "Mama loves those! I'm going to pick it for her!"
"Don't," Tao Zi said, his voice raspy from disuse. He finally stood up, his eyes narrowing. "The mud is bubbling. That's not natural gas."
But Miao Miao was already leaning forward, her arm outstretched, her fingertips just inches from the glowing petals.
Suddenly, the mud beneath the lily exploded.
